3 OPD officers in DUI cases; 1 loses license for 6 months

An Orlando police officer who pleaded no contest to drunken driving this month had his driver’s license suspended for six months, records show.

Michael Lemmerman, 34, was arrested in April in Manatee County after the patrol officer was involved in a hit-and-run crash.

Lemmerman, who was off duty at the time, hit two parked cars in a parking lot and fled before being arrested, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said. He declined to take a breath test.

The five-year veteran has been working a desk job ever since at his regular $31-an-hour salary.

Another Orlando officer, Michael Counihan, was found guilty by a jury in February of drunken driving in Lake County. An appeal was filed March 10.

The filing did not give the grounds for the appeal.

Counihan, 41, was charged with driving under the influence after a traffic stop by Clermont police in October.

His breath smelled like alcohol and he needed to be helped out of the car, according court documents. He declined to take a breath test or complete field sobriety tests.

He has been with the department since 2008 and is still making his roughly $30-an-hour wage on a desk job.

Their lawyers did not respond to calls for comment.

A third Orlando police officer, Ben Gauntlett, was arrested in January near downtown Orlando on suspicion of drunken driving. His case is ongoing, and he also is working a desk job. He has been with the department since 2013 and makes more than $25 an hour.

All three officers also will undergo an internal-affairs investigation. It’s not clear when they will receive their police powers back.

There’s no policy in Orlando Police Department regulations that addresses drunken driving, but officers are expected to follow the law, authorities said.